A few weeks ago I ordered Nintendogs on eBay. I’ve been wanting this game since I first saw it previewed almost a year ago. Since I’ve had it, I’ve managed to become completely addicted.
There are three versions you can get, which each come with six different breeds already unlocked (there are about 18 breeds you can unlock in total). I got Dachshund & Friends, which comes with dachshund, pug, beagle, shi tsu, golden retriever, and husky breeds unlocked. You can have three puppies at the same time, and I currently have:
- Margot: beagle
- Bean: pug
- Ziggy: labrador retriever
You can unlock new breeds by meeting with friends’ puppies who are of a breed you don’t have, by getting lots of trainer points, and probably some other ways I don’t know yet. That’s how I have Ziggy who is a breed that didn’t come unlocked with my game.
There are loads of things you can do in this game, aside from the standard Tamagotchi-type stuff (feed, clean, play with, etc). You can take them on walks around the city where they will find you presents that you can use or sell at the store, buy new puppies, put puppies into the pet hotel, teach tricks with voice commands, and enter different contests (disc, agility, and obedience). You reward your pup by petting it, and it will eventually remember what you are rewarding it for and will be able to walk further, run faster, and be more well-behaved. You get money for winning contests and you can rise through the ranks from entry class to championship. There is just so much you can do!
I think the reason I am finding this game so addictive is that the dogs are just so damn cute. I mean, seriously cute. They do cute little barks when you open your DS up too – like they are happy to see you. It’s really sad, but you feel bad for leaving them for too long. I mean, seriously. It’s pathetic, I know. They also all have very distinct personalities, which is very odd, but true.
I don’t think there are any things that are annoying or problematic with the game. The touchscreen is awesome, but with a lot of use (like with this game) you might get some little scratches on it. The microphone isn’t the best and sometimes I find that it doesn’t register my voice commands, but generally there’s no problem. The only problem I have is that no one in town has it so I never find anyone when I put it in bark mode (this is when it constantly searches for a wireless partner to play with). Maybe after it’s released officially in the UK on October 7th, ooh!
This game is totally rocking my world right now. I think you know you want to buy this game now. It’s awesome.
